


Balance

by Drago_Company



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-05
Updated: 2015-02-05
Packaged: 2018-03-10 15:25:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3295367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drago_Company/pseuds/Drago_Company
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This fic was inspired by a tumblr post(link it if I can find it later) and my friend told me to totally write it after I pitched an idea, so yeah. Thanks to my dearest Queen Quelly who suffers through editing my work when I'm too lazy to edit them myself. </p><p>Balance is about two boys: One Hufflepuff, Theo. And a Slytherin, Nathaniel. Theo is the typical type who wants to get to know everybody, doesn't care about what house you are in, and has basically no prediction against people what so ever - he's just a goofball who sees something good in everyone. But then he meets this quiet, shy boy who despite his efforts at becoming friends with him runs away - and he makes it his goal to become friends with him. </p><p>*SUMMARY IS UPDATING*</p>
            </blockquote>





	Balance

BALANCE    
  
Part 1:    
  
They first met on the train. He was loud. Really loud. People were poking their heads out of their compartments just to see who was making the ruckus, “just a first year” most of them would say to their friends who didn’t bother to look for themselves.  
“So, me, Andy and this really old guy” he said to the group of people he was walking with, stopping outside an empty compartment except for one guy: “anyway, so, - hi” the loud boy says as he spots the guy inside the train compartment,   
“can I sit here?” he asks – the boy inside of the compartment must’ve nodded or said a really quiet yes because the loud boy said bye to his group of friends and sat down across the other boy inside.    
“I’m Theo” he said, grinning brightly, the sun shining through the window set his hair ablaze. It looked like a crazy, curly, and a wild fire was taking place on top of his head.    
“Don’t you want to sit with your friends?” the quiet boy asked, looking at the fire-boy.    
“Hm? Oh! Them? Not my friends, I was just passing them and overheard a conversation about one of them tripping an old guy which reminded me of a story I have about this old guy that I tripped” the fire-boy rambled on, using wild gestures.    
“Oh” the quiet boy replied.    
“What’s your name?” Theo asked (the quiet boy decided to use his name from now on so that he doesn’t accidentally call him something embarrassing), he leaned forward towards the dark haired boy, very intrigued by this quiet boy.    
“Pardon?” the dark haired boy asked, his attention had been elsewhere, as in focusing on the boy who was suddenly 10 cm _too close_ to him and his golden eyes lit by the sun had frozen him in his seat.    
“What’s your name?” Theo asked again, brightly.    
“Oh” the frozen boy wetted his bottom lip, “I’m Nathaniel” he croaked, his throat suddenly too dry. He hadn’t talked this much all day and this boy was making him nervous,   
“Cool name!” Theo chirped, “so I’ll call you Nate then?”     
  
* - *    
  
The second time they meet was in Friday potions class. Nathaniel was sat at the front, browsing through his potions book – he had come to class early to get a good seat and did not want to face the awkward situation of asking to sit with someone if the desks were full (and receive a "no" because they're saving a seat for their friend).   
Someone sat down next to Nathaniel and he looked up and was met by the same golden eyes. He froze.    
“Hi, Nate!” Theo said with a loud and cheerful voice, dropping his heavy book on top of the desk with a loud thud. Theo had been sorted into Hufflepuff. The yellow in his tie matched his eyes, Nathaniel noted, looking down at his book again hurriedly.  
He had himself been sorted into Slytherin and when the ceremony was over they both went their separate ways, the Hufflepuffs towards the kitchen and the Slytherins to the dungeons.   
Nathaniel had checked his timetable to see if they were having any classes together, and was sad to see that they only had potions together on Fridays.    
“So, I was thinking” Theo suddenly spoke, bringing Nathaniel out of his thoughts, he looked over at the ginger boy who was poking at a green stain on his book with a nail-bitten fingernail: “we should be friends” he continued, looking over at Nathaniel.   
If he had a drink right now he’d probably choke on it, no never mind, he choked on his own spit and starts coughing into his hands.    
“Woah, you alright?” Theo yelps, patting Nathaniel lightly on the back. The dark haired boy continued coughing, embarrassed at his own awkwardness, not noticing the students who were streaming in the classroom and then the doors were shut with a slam, and professor Slughorn stepped in at the front.   
“Good afternoon, class!” he said, beaming at the first years. Nathaniel never got to reply to Theo as he disappeared after the lesson ended with some Gryffindor girls who gave him the stink eye when he tried to call out his name.   
  
Well, he’ll never try that out again.   

  
* - *   
  
 Third time they met was in the hallway during free period. Somehow they had been ‘lucky’ as Theo called it and got free period at the same time. Nathaniel had been on his way to the library, wanting to do his charms essay in good time, turns out charms wasn’t his best subject, but he was stopped by a tall 5th year Gryffindor who had grunted at him and told him to watch out where he was going.   
Nathaniel bent down to pick up his books, letting out a sigh when someone picked up his scattered paper before he could even touch them. He looked up and was met by the same – _god damn it_ – golden eyes that somehow seemed to haunt him.   
“ _Hullu_ ” Theo greeted cheekily, standing up with Nathaniel. “Where you headed to?” he asked, still holding the half-finished charms essay.   
“Uh, library” Nathaniel replied. Eyeing his papers. “Can I have those back?” he asks, reaching out for the papers, looking at Theo.    
“Um, _no_ ” Theo said, clucking his tongue, “because we have free period together, and therefor you shall come with me and my friends and play football.” -  “ _Football?_ ” Nathaniel asked, looking confused, “I’ve never played f-“ Theo cut him off mid-sentence “neither have any of me friends, so that’s why I’m going to teach you!” he said cheerily, waving his hand about.    
  
Nathaniel politely declined, grabbed his paper, and scurried off to the library. He regretted this later when he was sat at the library, looking outside the window at Theo and his friends kicking a ball around, having fun.

 

* - *  

  
Theo was sick next potions class. Nathaniel sat at the back.     
  
* - *  
  
Nathaniel sat down next to the ginger haired boy at his usual desk in Fridays potion class, surprised too see Theo again after being absent for two potion classes, he looked a little pale but had his usual smile plastered on his face that he always seemed to carry around in the hallways with his friends.   
“Are you, um, ok?” Nathaniel asked, studying his feathered quill intently. “Yup!” Theo piped up; Nathaniel could feel his shiny smile and looked over at the Hufflepuff with a strained smile.   
“ _Aaaw_ , have you missed me, _Nate_?” Theo cries out, pulling the Slytherin boy into a tight hug. Nathaniel thinks he'd die, cause:  stopped breathing because of hug, until Theo quickly lets go off him. “ _Uh_ -“ Theo said, his face quickly turning a shade of magenta red, “s-sorry” he stammered, looking quickly away and shouts at his friend who’s sat at the back.

_Nathaniel couldn’t focus the entire class._

 

* - *  
  
Nathaniel spent Halloween at the library, batting away the enchanted bats with his transfiguration homework.

* - *  
  
Christmas break was suddenly here. The hallways were empty, the library was empty, and most of the classrooms were empty – which Nathaniel was grateful for because that meant he could study in silence without being disturbed by other students (or a certain one).   
Suddenly a black-coated Hufflepuff attacked him from the back as he was making his way through the snowy courtyard: falling face first into the snow, shrieking, as he was falling and then muffled by the snow. Someone rolled off him, laughing hysterically; he sprang up from the cold snow, wiping it away from his face to look at the already suspected attacker.   
“What was that for?!” Nathaniel shouted, kicking snow at Theo who was rolling in the snow laughing, looking like a lump of coal in all the black clothes if it hadn’t been for his ginger hair poking out of a seaweed green hat.   
“ _And why are you wearing Slytherin winter clothes_?” he asked, his tone a little sceptical.   
“My hair does _not_ match the mustard-yellow hats we have in Hufflepuff so I borrowed these from a friend” he said nonchalant, still lying in the snow, also wearing seaweed green gloves that were pointing at his hat. He looked like a weird snow-angel.  
“You wanna get up from there?” Nathaniel asked, cocking a brow: “Hm, no, not really” Theo replied, smiling goofily up  at the dark haired boy with snow all over his hair.   
Some students passed them, looking weirdly at the pair – Nathaniel was about to say something when a snowball hit him square in the face. He groaned in pain and was met by another snowball, stumbling and falling on his bum: “you-“ he shouted but was met by another snowball before he could finish his sentence.   
“ _How are you making them so fast?!_ ” he yelped, rolling away, grabbing a handful of snow, clasping it together and throwing the half-assed snowball at the _Hufflepuff-clothing-borrower-from-other-houses_ which missed him by the mile.   
Theo snorted and laughed heartedly, making a snowball and throwing it at Nathaniel, which he this times manages to avoid. He lets out a loud “ _Ha!_ ” and throws one that hits Theo in the shoulder.   
They continue throwing snowballs at each other, jumping behind large snow pillars, rolling away James Bond-style – until they were cold, wet to the bone and shivering.  
  
They both met up at the great hall after they had changed into dry and warm clothes, both sat in front of a fireplace that the staff had installed for the winter, both clinging to a cup of hot cocoa and enjoying the warmth from the fireplace.   
“Why aren’t you home this Christmas?” Theo asked suddenly, breaking the comfortable silence, blowing at his cup of cocoa before taking a sip.   
“My parents went to the Bahamas this year and I didn’t want to go” Nathaniel replied dully shrugging his shoulders lightly, staring at a floating marshmallow in his cup that bobs up and down in the chocolate liquid, melting into a fluffy blob.   
“You go there often?” the ginger asks, putting his cup down on the tabletop,  
“No, but we always celebrate Christmas somewhere expensive, or _exotic_ , or don’t celebrate it all, I’d just want to do it at home for once” Nathaniel mumbles, drinking from his cocoa, not really sure why he’s so open with this strange Hufflepuff boy.   
  
“You should tell them that,” Theo said with a completely serious face. Nathaniel snorted.   
“No, I’m serious, like, my parents used to never listen to me, but then one day I kinda exploded at them, not saying _you_ should do that, but I just told them how it was and now they totally listen to me now!” he blurts, his hands all over the place, almost spilling his entire cup over. 

Nathaniel laughs as Theo wipes the spill with his jumper arm (most likely not his own), and looks down at his lap, smiling, “yeah, maybe I’ll do that”.   
He put his own cup down and looks up at Theo, “why aren’t _you_ at home?” he asks, interested in knowing why Theo who looks like one of those who comes from a loving home would spend their Christmas at school.   
Theo shrugged, “ _Meh_ , my parents split up this summer and I didn’t wanna pick which one to be with this Christmas, so I stayed” he said, staring into the fire, his cheek a little red from the heat.   
They stayed quiet for a while until Theo suggested they should play chess – which Nathaniel gladly agreed too.

 

They spent most of their Christmas break together, sitting in front of the fireplace, just talking or playing wizard chess, or talking (mostly Theo talking and Nathaniel doing his homework) and on Christmas Eve they sat together in the great hall, eating  good food with the other cheerful students. Most of Theo’s friends was nice to Nathaniel and included him in their conversations. And when he went to sleep that night he was pretty sure he’d never had a better Christmas in all of his 11 years.   
  
You can imagine his surprise as Theo handed him a badly wrapped Christmas present the next morning at breakfast, “s’just something I saw lying around and thought you’d like it” he had said with his mouth full of toast, kind of avoiding eye contact.   
He had opened it straight away and was met by a brightly mustard-yellow coloured gloves, he stared at them for a long time, blinking, before bursting out laughing, making other students turn their head and look at them.   
Theo covered his red face with his hands, “I’m sorry, shouldn’t have given them, stupid gift” he moans, suddenly grabbing for the gloves but Nathaniel was quicker and pulled them out of reach, “no way these are _mine_ now” he said, smiling mischievously at Tomato-Theo who was grinning from ear to ear.   
  
It wasn’t until the last night before the break was over that that Theo remembered he had tons of assignments he hadn’t done and was at the brink of crying all over Nathaniel’s potions essay, that he finally caved in and told him he’d help him with them.

  
Nathaniel didn’t want the Christmas break to end.   
  
* - *  
  
After Christmas break Theo and Nathaniel seemed to spend their time together whenever they could. That was whenever Nathaniel could. It seemed like the school had managed to make their time table so difficult that the only time they actually could spend time together was in one of their free periods, potions class, and at lunch (if they could they’d greet each other in the smaller breaks only having to leave seconds after for class). This continued throughout the year.   
  
One spring day, sat outside enjoying the warm sun and just relaxing with Theo, Cass and Martin( twins from Gryffindor which hung out with them now and them), Nathanial suddenly realized something.   
“Hey, Theo” he said, looking over at his friend who was lying on his back in the high grass with a book covering his face, “mmphs?” came from the book.   
“Did I ever respond to you asking me about us becoming friends?” Nathaniel said, pulling up some straws of grass, rolling it between his fingers, the grass-juice leaving green stains. Theo sat up leaning on his elbows, his book slipping down from his face and next to him, he squinted at Nathaniel,   
“are you saying we’ve been hanging out all year and you’ve thought we weren’t friends?” he said, looking mildly confused, or trying to look it but the sun was kind of blinding him. “ _Um_ ” Nathaniel replied, Cass and Martin laughed both leaning over and patting him on the back and shoulders:   
“I don’t think you even had a choice there, mate” Martin says with his heavy Yorkshire accent, brushing away golden locks from his face, grinning.   
“Think you were deep in shit the moment he saw you”  Cass said giggling, “watch your profanity” Theo said from the back: Nathaniel threw his book at him, “watch your own 'profanity'” he countered, all laughing at Theo rubbing his stomach where the book had hit.

  
The year ended sadly too quick for both Nathaniel and Theo, they both promised to owl each other, and maybe hang out if they had time during the summer. And when they stepped off the train at Kings Cross they said their goodbyes, for now.  Both looking back at each other as they separated ways.


End file.
